Ninety-Nine Nights

It's really not just ninety-nine Dynasty Warriors.

At the in-depth demonstration of Phantagram and Q-Entertainment's joint project for Xbox 360, I had to risk the wrath of Mizuguchi and ask what we were all thinking: Are they afraid that people are going to think Ninety-Nine Nights is just like Dynasty Warriors with more dead bodies?

Mizuguchi just answered flatly, "No." But Phantagram president Sang Youn Lee launched into a very detailed answer including mention of strategy, AI, the ability to command troops, the importance of the physics engine -- but I'll come back to that in a minute. The most important way that this game differentiates itself from Dynasty Warriors is that, after the ease of button-mashing conscience-free killing, the player comes face to face with the consequences of slaughter.

There is a twist to this game, which I don't want to tell you, even the little bit that I know, because it will be so much more effective and emotional if you don't know. But if I don't tell you then you're just going to find from some kids in school, so I will. However, if you know you want to get this game and you don't want to know anything more, move along and go about your business.

The twist in this tale is that in the beginning, the player characters are human, and heroically beautiful. Their enemies are snarly goblins. It seems very straight-forward good-versus-evil style action. But there's more to the story - later on in the game playable goblin characters appear, who naturally see the the humans as vicious killers who have murdered thousands of their brethren, and suddenly the player has access to the goblin's side of the drama. It's a vicious circle of revenge and resentment.

Mizuguchi said, "I had never thought of making a war game until after 9/11, watching CNN." The events of that day made him start thinking about the nature of peace and justice. "We each have our own justice, our own fate," he said. "You should play, and feel something."

As we'd expect from a Mizuguchi title, the music will play a key role. A situational score is being developed by a composer of film music based in LA, and both Sang and Mizuguchi promised that the music would change to reflect what is happening in the game. Even the same melody would speed up, or have a different quality, depending on game actions.

Combat is clearly a key component of the game - if not the key. "I don't really like RPGs," Mizuguchi told us, so don't expect any Final Fantasy here; just hard-core action. "The fighting should be fun -- it's in our DNA," he added. Physics are going to be important too, said Sang. We weren't shown any castle levels, but Sang assured us that each building, each castle, wall, house, or shop, can be demolished. However, the demo gives no hint of this, because the player character can walk through logs and, sometimes, enemies as well. When I asked about it, Sang assured us that it was a bug that they were working on. "Obviously in the final game will not have that," he said.

The game was a huge hit on the show floor, gathering a consistent crowd of gawkers impressed by its gorgeous looks and smooth, fast, fun play. The demo they had available did not make clear how the story would progress: Through gameplay? Exclusively through cinematics? Hopefully he final product will feature more depth beyond a series of hack-and-slash levels strung together with pieces of FMVs, because Mizuguchi's premise deserves better treatment.